


Dragon Age: Bloodlines

by KaleidoscopeMind



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game)
Genre: (Or Unlife, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Dragon Age Kink Meme, Fluff, Multi, Slice of Life, but hey, close enough)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-27 12:15:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12581696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaleidoscopeMind/pseuds/KaleidoscopeMind
Summary: Recently while looking up information on IMDB I made an interesting discovery: Gregg Ellis, the voice of Cullen in the Dragon Age series, also provided the voices of three characters in Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines: Knox Harrington (the Nosferatu ghoul), E (the Aussie caitiff vampire), and Christopher Giovanni (one of the the three Giovanni cousins angling for the Embrace). That discovery gave birth to this: A somewhat crack-y, modern-ish AU in which vampires are real and (un)living in Thedas. If you're a canon purist, this will likely drive you bonkers. But if this idea is as interesting to you as it was to me, read on. The Dragon Age-Vampire the Masquerade crossover/tribute/fanfic-y love letter nobody wanted, in time for a Halloween debut. Enjoy!Each chapter has a different rating, and I'll add more on over time. As I post the chapters I'll add their rating (and any applicable warnings). If you have comments or suggestions by all means share them! I will be editing these chapters over time, so consider this an ongoing work in progress!





	1. A Smaller Maker- Rated E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration/backstory for this piece: Cullen is a Ventrue, a former Templar who was Embraced by an unknown sire shortly after the disaster in Kirkwall; He was adopted by the Brujah Cassandra and a ghouled Leliana, joining them as they formed the Inquisition. He quickly discovers, to his shame and chagrin, the nature of the only blood his body would accept: Female human and elven mages. He isolates himself, hiding within his duties and desperately fighting against his hunger and the memories it brings of his old life.
> 
> Recognizing the dangerous cycle Cullen is trapped in, Cassandra brings him Evelyn Trevelyan to serve as his daytime secretary, blood donor and ghoul companion. Feelings have been growing between them, and one night a visit from Cole brings Cullens pain into the light. Exactly where Evelyn needed it to be the most.
> 
> Rated E for the sex scene in the second half. Some of the dialogue was pulled directly from the Cullen romance scenes; This was meant to be this universes version of that romance. This scene was inspired by the song "A Smaller God" by Darling Violetta (from the Bloodlines soundtrack) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX_kez_xwJs )

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Have a good night, Chunk!" Evelyn calls out in greeting as she steps inside the elevator.

"You too, Lady Trevelyan!" the portly deskkeeper answers. She chuckles to herself in amusement as the doors close; the mans flirtatious offer to share his donuts had been sweet, but ever since she had began working for the Inquisition there was only one man whose company she cared to share: Cullen, her commander, employer and (recently) her new domitor. As she waited she sang to herself a bit, following along with the instrumental music playing from the small, tinny speakers.

"..This will all be over soon and we'll learn to live again, a-and I..I could have died last night, but I heard the voice of a small-er-"

As the elevator doors open on the Penthouse floor she is greeted by the sounds of a furious yell, wooden cracking, glass breaking. Quickly she rushes from the elevator to Cullens front door, electricity arcing across the fingers of her left hand as her right hand frantically punches in the access code and pulls the door open as soon as it unlocks; she enters and nearly steps on the ruins of an old lyrium kit (as well as the deep impact mark) near the doorway. 

In the center of the room was Cullen, his fangs bared, face twisted into a furious snarl as he grasps a sheet of parchment in one hand. His wooden bookshelf was cracked nearly in two, and the majority of his desks contents were lying on the floor, some broken. He jumps a little as she enters the room, stunned back into some semblance of control by her arrival.

"Makers Breath! I didn't hear you enter! I.." he sighs, averting his gaze in embarrassment, the hand with the note trembling as he sets the paper aside. "..Forgive me.." 

Evelyn pushed the door closed behind her with the heel of her right foot, glancing him over as the lightning energy in her hand recedes. "Always. If you need to talk, I'm here." She briefly points to the note. "More Orlesian marriage proposals? Death threats from Corypheus? Or was it the Sabbat this time?"

"Nothing quite so straightforward. It's a letter from Cole." Annoyance tinges Cullens tone as he speaks the boys name; Like many, Cullen was ambivalent towards the ghostly Malkavian and his eccentricities, and gestures like this definitely didn't help. He sighs, glancing down to the page as he reads the words written there. "'Your body left the lyrium behind but your heart still hears the call. You fear the loss of a self you have fought to regain, remember, restore. Trust in the one who was trusted in you. Then trust yourself. Let her show you the man she sees behind the beast.'" He throws the note aside on his desk. "He left that lyrium kit along with this letter on my desk. Somehow he broke through my security, invaded my office and home, all to leave.. THIS. Absolute madness."

"Or perhaps, if I may be so bold?" she speaks as she turns away from him, walking over to the remains of the lyrium kit. The door glows green for a brief moment as it closes, a small metallic Click sounding out as it locks. "Cole sees more than you are willing to admit. Even if his methods of communication are more than a bit unorthodox."

"Evelyn, you don't have to clean that up. I can-" Cullen pauses, watching with confusion as the small wastebin next to his desk begins to glow green and float over to Evelyns side.

"It's alright." She kneels down as she grabs the bin, using the largest piece of the wooden lid as a (rather effective) improvised dustpan. "Helpful, in fact. It gives me an opportunity to improve my object manipulation. Lovely trick I learned from the Inquisitor."

"Ah. For a moment I thought we might have ghosts on top of all our other troubles."

Evelyn chuckles in genuine amusement, and for a moment the sound brings a smile to Cullens face. Then she winces and draws a large shard of glass from her hand, the wound small but significant. The smell of her blood reaches him immediately, tugging at something desperate and hungry. Rich and sweet, metallic with an electric tingle that begged him to drink until he was flooded with her. He quickly steps backwards and away from her, and the reason why isn't lost on Evelyn. 

"Cullen, it's alright. It-"

"No. It's not." He shakes his head, gritting his teeth in anger and shame. "This need for blood, it.. It calls to me even more than the lyrium did, and in many of the same ways. The Hunger, it's RELENTLESS. I thought perhaps showing temperance would give me some control over my life again, but.." His voice cracks, straining from pain and desperation as he sits on the edge of his desk. "These thoughts won't LEAVE me! The Inquisition is my chance to atone and I must give everything I have to ensure its success. I swore myself to this cause! But how can I be the man and the leader everyone deserves if I'm just another monster?"

"Because you're NOT!" Evelyn insists. "If you were, you wouldn't care about being a good man. You would take what you want, when you want, just like Corypheus and his hordes. You would have grabbed me by the hair and drained me to nothing the first opportunity you had." She had covered the small wound with her handkerchief, which muted the smell of her blood but did nothing to hide it or ease its pull. She approaches him with caution and care, but also with a certainty that Cullen found comforting. "Cullen.. Look at me."

She places her unwounded hand on his shoulder, and slowly he lifts his gaze to her face. "This doesn't have to be about the Inquisition, about me, or about anything else but you. This suffering.. Is this what you want?"

He sighs, and his voice sounds tired beyond his years. "...No..Not at all..."

"Then let me help you find a compromise. You are a remarkable man, Cullen. But you have taken on more than any one person can handle, even a Kindred. If you want to serve the Inquisition you need to be at your best. You need to feed, and you need to trust." 

She leans in and hugs him closely, prepared to back off in an instant if he needed or wanted that.

"Why don't you begin with me?" she asks. 

At first he remained tense and uncertain, fighting against the urge to anchor his fangs in her throat and drain her on the spot, but the feel of her body relaxing against him slowly brings him to ease. He reaches down to her wrapped hand and quickly unbinds it, setting the bloody handkerchief aside on his desk. The intimacy of this step isn't lost on either one, nor is the quickening of her pulse as he brings her hand to his mouth and begins to feed, triggering the Kiss. Or the softness of her flesh as she leans against him. Her kindness, or the protective side she brought out in him. How much he wanted to take care of her, preserve her light, and make her shine in ways only his eyes would ever see. His lips latch around her wound, his eyes fluttering closed as the tingle of her magically infused blood restores him. He never wanted to break away from her, which is why he finally did.

He presses a tender kiss to the side of her head as he breaks the feed, sighing in relief as the grip of the hunger finally eased enough for him to breathe again. It wasn't much, a mouthful or three at best, but it helped. "Thank you.."

"Always.." A single word, spoken in a longing sigh that warmed Cullens heart. She looks into his face, and as he started to speak she interrupted, blurting out her truth.

"Cullen..I care about you. I always have. I don't know if you-Mmm!" His arms tighten around her as he lifts her off her feet, stifling her gasp of surprise with his lips on hers, softly moaning his approval as her delicate hands find their way to his hair, threading into his curling locks, her nails subtly teasing his scalp. He can feel her heartbeat against his chest, the blood in her veins taunting the Beast inside him with every pulse. But as they hold each other, a different sort of hunger wins out: The hunger to touch her, to taste her, to make love to her, show her just how much she had bewitched him body and soul. A warm, human hunger he had feared lost forever. Cullen finds his heart breaking a little as he finally sees the truth: All these months at each others side, all the trials they and the Inquisition had endured, all this time she had seen his true nature and loved him for himself. Dead, flawed, hungry, struggling, yet there she remained. For a moment (one he would NEVER admit to aloud) Cole's strange words made perfect sense. And just this once, just tonight, he would listen.

"I have wanted to be with you for longer than I should admit.." He purrs, his voice low and husky, the sound travelling straight from Evelyns ears to the meeting of her thighs. "That is..If you'll still have me." 

"Do you even have to ask?" She smiles warmly, her voice breathy from lust yet hopeful and relieved. 

He seizes her lips in his kiss once again, purring in approval at the passion he finds returned. Quickly he carries her into his bedroom, kicking open the door with one foot as they pass across the threshold. Item by item, the two leave a trail of clothes in their wake, kissing and caressing each other, hungry for the feel of one anothers naked skin and the drive to make up for lost time. As they found their way to his bed, he (barely..Maker this woman was distracting..) notices a new detail.

"Did you..Is this a new bed?" he asks, briefly interrupted by her kiss.

"Yes.." she speaks as she leaves a trail of quick, soft kisses down his chin and neck. "One of the new Orlesian models, top of the line. It wouldn't do for the Commander of the Inquisition to live in austerity, would it?"

"How? When did?..Nevermind. I'll allow it for now," he concedes. "As long as I can share it with you anytime I like."

"I can work with that," she teases. He smirks, then tosses her into the center of the massive overstuffed mattress, turned on by the sight of her naked before him. To him Evelyn had a body built for bedrooms, and tolerating all the Orlesian frippery in the world would be worth it if he could wake up every night to the sight of her draped across his sheets. As he watches her she slowly leans up and spreads her thighs, teasingly sliding one hand down her belly, her fingers drifting down between her legs to find her clit. Gently she strokes herself, two fingers gliding slowly up and down through her silky wet cleft, biting her bottom lip as she lets out a soft moan of pleasure. 

"Evelyn.." Cullen moans, voice wavering with his approval at the erotic sight. "Tell me how to be your perfect lover.."

"That's just it," she moans, briefly sliding one finger into her passage. "You always have been. Sweet, charming, humble, dedicated and principled. And so Maker damned sexy it hurts.." she whimpers, her words lost for a moment at the sight of him crawling into bed on all fours. He gently draws her hand away, replacing it with his own, taking up where she had left behind. "Let me feed you, feel you, please you ohyesMakerplease right there, just like that..."

"Tell me when you're close."

"Keep doing what you're doing right now and it won't be long," she moaned, and the sound went straight from his ears to both his cock and his fangs with equal desperation. He had fantasized about Evelyn countless times, but this was one of those rare moments in life where nothing could compare to the reality. He bowed his head to her breasts, his mouth and free hand lovingly teasing her nipples, listening for the rises and hitches of her pulse and easing her just from the edge a couple times, then drawing her closer again. After the last of these, she cried out his name with a lust and a pleading need that left him undone. He slipped two thick fingers into her tight passage, frigging her with vigor and growing speed. 

"Cullen, fuckmefuckme please Maker PLEASE!" And as she finally came for him, he lifted his head and sank his fangs into her throat, triggering the Kiss as he trusted himself enough to give them both what they needed. The magic in her blood tingled as it coursed through his veins, and with every mouthful swallowed he felt her climax as if it were his own. He finally released his hold as she begins to slacken in his arms, licking the wounds to close them, and for just a small moment he feared he had gone too far.

"Are you alright?" he asks, moving to lay down beside her as he looks her over with concern. He breathes a silent sigh of relief when she nods her head yes.

"Oh Maker.." Her voice wavers as she finally finds her words again. "I've never been happier to be right." 

"Hmm?" He pauses, looking at her with confusion. "What do you mean?" 

"Well.. When I first joined the Inquisition I was told by Lady Vivienne that once someone is Embraced, they become incapable of feeling love or physical desire. All passions are replaced by the hunger for blood. I didn't believe it, but when you continued to push me away I began to wonder." 

"Yes, well, I've never concerned myself with the opinions of Orlesians before. I'm not about to begin now." 

"Fair enough.." She laughs a little as she says it, and her smile eases his spirit. He presses a gentle kiss to her temple. 

"So I..I've truly meant everything I said, Evelyn. But the choice is yours."

She nods a little. "I have one condition."

"Name it." his answer is as immediate as it is sincere.

"Don't push me away any more." 

Cullen shakes her head as he draws her close against him. "I won't. In the public eye I must still act as your domitor, but in our private life we will be equals in every way possible."

She smiles, sighing lovingly. "Agreed. Although I must admit you are quite breathtaking when you take command."

"Oh?" Cullen looks at Evelyn with curiousity and amusement. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Well.." she smirks teasingly. "No time like the present, yes? After all..I *am* your ghoul.."

Mentally she thanks the Maker for the unexpected benefits of a ghouls fortitude. Then she finds herself snapped back into reality as Cullen lifts her up, seats her across his face, buries his tongue between her thighs and she forgets that there is any kind of world beyond the bounds of the bed. For just a moment she forgets that there even IS a Maker: His low moans of pleasure as she rides his face to a trembling climax, their shared moans of carnal relief as he sheathes his thick heavy masterpiece of a cock inside her for the first time, his purring words of love and lust in her ears as he fucks her into blissful speechlessness, his hands and his mouth and his voice and his gorgeous sweet heart, all of these things become the cornerstones of a strange new faith. The foundation, perhaps, of a new life for both.

Dawn inevitably came and Cullen fell into slumber with his head on Evelyns breast, soothed by the rhythm of her heartbeat and the tingle of her magic in his veins. And when he awakened that night she was there with a hot bath and the news from the day, ready to welcome him back into a world that no longer seemed so dark.


	2. Ghost- Rated T

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varric Tethras enters the Heralds Rest and converses with Cole, the eccentric Malkavian who joined the Inquisition for an interesting reason: He (and many he encounters) believe he is a Spirit of Compassion. Varric has heard rumors of some of Coles recent 'help' and comes to him to get the real scoop.
> 
> A few swear words here and there, but nothing iffy beyond that. The title comes from the song "Ghost" by MYSTXRIVL, which is the song I also picture playing in the background during this scene ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dg2Oo8z_yR0 ) . The song Varric rips on at the end is "Lecher Bitch" by Genitorturers (off the VtM:Bloodlines soundtrack) ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-PEoU0FjzE )

Varric walks up the stairs, turning the corner to find Cole sitting in a quiet corner of the upper loft. The young man, like most times, seems to be staring off into space. Listening, but for what was anyones guess.

"Hey Cole." Varric approaches, pulling over a nearby low crate to serve as an improvised chair.

"Hello, Varric." Cole smiles warmly as Varric speaks, but his gaze remains elsewhere. Eye contact was a rarity for the young man, seeming difficult for him somehow. Many shunned Cole for this but most just accepted or dismissed it as one of his eccentricities. 

"So I overheard the Seeker saying you paid a little visit to our dear Commander. She wouldn't share the details, so I was kinda hoping you would. What happened?"

"Yes." Cole nods, as if deciding on his answer as he says it. "I heard his hurt and had to help. He shudders when he hears me speak. I unnerve him and it makes him lose my meaning. So I left my voice on his desk instead."

"You got into his office?! No shit!" Varrics eyes go wide. It took a lot to impress or surprise the Kirkwaller, but somehow Cole had found a way to do both. "That's no small feat, kid. It's not like you can just walk in and out of the place. I can't imagine he took that well."

"No. He didn't." Cole shakes his head and his eyes drift upwards to Varric, making eye contact much to the dwarfs relief. "Heated at first, my words in his grasp, letters touching old hurts he pretended didn't haunt him. Angry because I saw what he wanted unseen, pride masking pain. Then Evelyn came, and she understood, and she helped him see a better way. It helped her too." 

"Helped her how?" 

"The lyrium kit, a sharp edge and a soft hand. The smell of her blood calls to him and he fights it, man above Beast." His voice takes on Cullens cadence enough for Varric to understand. "'I will NOT be the templar that preys on mages! I'll learn to take animal blood. I'll find another way. Maker help me, please, let there be another way.'"

Varric gently exhales through pursed lips, cringing, his sympathy evident. "But Ventrue can't do that, though. So all this time Curly's been starving and torturing himself trying to fix the unfixable, hasn't he?"

"Yes," Cole briefly nods, "and Evelyn knew it. She showed him that the way to be better was to give in safely. Blood in his mouth, his heart to hers, then his mouth on hers and he is lost." Cole smiles wistfully. "Open hearts and open veins, love in their voices, the scent of her lily perfume. 'Praise the Maker. He loves me too.' 'Praise the Maker. She loves me too.'" 

"Very nice." Varric smiles knowingly as some things he had seen of late began making sense; Evelyn going through her duties the last few days and nights, pale and lethargic but smiling and blissfully happy. And, just last night, Cullen and Evelyn together playing chess by a window at the Heralds Rest. She seemed to take delight in watching the storm, but Cullen had seemed much more interested in watching her.

"Might have to put some of that in the next edition of Swords and Shields. You did a good job, Cole. Maker, last night was the first time I've seen Curly smile like that in.." he chuckles. "Shit, maybe ever."

"I had to hurt him, make him face the hidden to help." Coles gaze drifts to the floor. "I am sorry for that, but in the end it helped them. You understand. I can feel it."

With a sigh, Varric nods in affirmation. "I get it. I do. And I think if you give it some time Cullen will too." He gently pats Cole on the back. "Come with me. You've done a damn fine job of being a spirit this week, but now it's time to be a person for a little while. Maybe we can get a round of Wicked Grace going, or take the DJ booth from whoever's spinning this witchhouse set."

"It's Maryden." Cole smiles as he stands. "I like it. It sounds like the Fade sometimes, but outside of my head instead of inside."

Varric sighs as he turns to walk down the stairs with Cole right behind him. "And that's why I *don't* like it. But hey, anything's gotta be better than the shit Sera was playing last night. I could go the rest of my life without hearing 'Lecher Bitch' again and it would still be too soon."


	3. Lesser of Two Evils- Rated T

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inquisitor Adaar meets the Iron Bull and his Chargers for the first time as they butt heads with a Sabbat pack on the Storm Coast. Largely follows the canon conversation. 
> 
> Rated T for violence, maybe some swear words. Like the previous chapters this one will be edited periodically.
> 
> Side note: Leech is a common insult for vampires. And Krem is a man, I don't care what anyone says.

Iron Bull growled, his heels digging hard into the salt-caked dirt beneath his feet as he struggled to hold his ground. Pushing back against him was an ashy skinned elven man, a member of the dozen strong Sabbat pack he and the Chargers had been fighting against since their arrival nearly an hour before.

"I'm gonna wear your skull for a codpiece." the vampire taunted. Despite the height and build difference between the two the vampires supernatural strength made him one of the strongest opponents Iron Bull had faced on the battlefield since his arrival in the South. 

"I'd like to see you try," Iron Bull rumbled back, gritting his teeth as he stood his ground.

The vampire hissed, baring his fangs as he tried in vain to use his dread gaze to cow the Bull. The two remained deadlocked for a short moment longer, but ultimately neither one broke the stalemate. Instead, Iron Bull found himself quickly backing away as the vampire burst into flames, screaming as his body turned to ash. Iron Bull quickly turned his attention to seeking the source of the flames, stopping as he saw another vampire running towards him wielding a jagged wooden plank the size of a full grown Qunari. Like Bulls first opponent, this one also burst into flames, turning into ash before he could get within swinging range. And as the ashes scattered, the answer became clear.

Krem had given him a description of Inquisitor Adaar, but to see her himself was different: A silvery skinned, heavyset Vashoth woman with curling horns capped in silverite, wielding a heavy heartwood staff topped by a skull bound with copper wire. Her calf-length robes were tattered at the hem and torn at the sleeves and the chest by claw marks; Combined with the fresh blood beading her wounds it became clear to Iron Bull just why the Inquisitor and her crew were running late. As he glanced her up and down, he sighs internally. A redhead. Scarlet hair pinned to her head in tight braids, anchored in place against her scalp by pins. Paired with her wide eyes and full lips, he knew right away she would be trouble. But with any luck her kind of trouble would be the lesser of two evils.

"Don't even think about it," she says, shaking her head. Before Bull even has time to question her words, a bubble of green magic surrounds his body as a previously invisible vampire pops out of the shadows and attempts to stab him in the kidneys from behind. The creature screams in anger as its daggers bounce against the barrier, only to pause as it realized (far too late) its status as the only remaining Sabbat on the battlefield.

"You won't win, you fat Qunari whore", it hisses at her, words slightly lisping through a mouthful of jagged teeth. "Corypheus will-"

The creatures words were cut off by the thick wooden crossbow bolt launched through its throat. As it frantically struggled to remove the bolt Krem rushed up with his sword raised and took a swing at the creatures head, taking off the top of its skull and sending it to its Final Death. 

"Sorry we're late," Varric shouts from up the hill. "There were some stragglers up the hill. Solas and the Seeker got them." 

"As long as everyone's alright, nothing else matters." The Inquisitor answers without hesitation. Iron Bull couldn't help but respect that. Perhaps negotiating with this weird unchained saarebas wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Krem!" Iron Bull proudly pats his liutenant on the back as the young man resheathes his sword. "How'd we do?"

"Five or six wounded, chief." Krem smiles in pride, dusting the ash off his shoulders as he answers with audible relief. "No dead."

"That's what I like to hear. Go check the cave they were holed up in, make sure they don't have anybody in cages. Sick bastards love taking their meals on the road. Get back to me when you're done and we'll break out the casks."

Krem nods to Iron Bull, then glances over at the Inquisitor as she holds out a fist towards him. With a shrug and a polite nod Krem returns the offered fist bump before he turns to join the others. 

"Hey Varric?" The Inquisitor looks over her shoulder at the blonde dwarf nearby. "You can spot vamps from yards off. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but uhh.." she nods her head towards the others.

"It's not paranoia when people really are out to get you," Varric points out, already moving to follow behind the Chargers. 

"That's a damn good point, actually." She cringes a little, brushing ash off her hair as she turns her attention to Iron Bull.

"Haha! Hot damn, it's true!" he laughs. "Oh, the Chantry must love you. A Qunari mercenary as the Herald of Andraste. Who'd'a thought?" 

"Like a greedy man loves charity." She bows a little at the waist, her tone formal and unexpectedly traditional. "Shenadan, Sten."

Iron Bull frowns. Her pronounciation was perfect, but the words still made him bristle. "Lets try to keep that to a minimum. Makes the boys twitchy."

"Yeah, I can see that." she nods as she reaches into her pocket, removing a small vial marked with the symbol of the Chantry. "This probably would, too. Hold still." 

She uncorks the vial and throws its contents on the center of his chest. Droplets of what appeared to be plain water trickled down his stomach, and with a small nod she sets the now-empty vial into her bag.

"Uhh..You know potions usually go in your mouth, right?" He wipes the water off his chest.

She pats the pocket where the now empty vial resides. "Holy water. The real thing, not the snake oil bullshit they peddle in Orlais."

"Smart." he admits, turning as he nods towards the direction of some nearby rocks. Together they walk over to the rocks where he takes a seat on a larger one. She sits meditation style on the ground in front of him, opting to give her feet a much needed rest. The two enjoy a couple moments of rest and silence before they notice Krem approaching.

"I assume you remember Cremisius Aclassi, my lieutenant." Iron Bull motions to the tired but proud looking young man.

"Good to see you again." Krem nods to the Inquisitor, then looks to Iron Bull. "Search crew's done, chief. No hostages, no Venatori, and no other leeches. Not even footprints in the sand. Looks like we caught this pack on the move."

"Have 'em check again just in case. If even one of those bastards gets away we'll have a whole new pack to wipe out in a month." Krem nods understandingly before returning to the group. 

"So..You've seen us fight." Iron Bull speaks up and Herah turns her attention back to him. "We're expensive, but we're worth it..." he smirks, the unspoken implication of his next words not lost on Herah. "..And I'm sure the Inquisition can afford us."

"How much is this going to cost me, exactly?" She looks him eyes to eye. "Or rather.. What this will cost me?"

"It wouldn't cost you anything personally, unless you wanna buy drinks later." His tone softened a bit but maintained the same level of calm professionalism. "Your ambassador-what's her name-Josephine? We'd go through her and get the payments set up. The gold will take care of itself. Don't worry about that. All that matters is we're worth it."

"The Chargers seem like an excellent company," she admits.

"They are. But you're not just getting the boys. You're getting me." He rises to his feet, offering her a hand as she stands up as well. "You need a frontline bodyguard, I'm your man. Whatever it is-demons, dragons, leeches? The bigger the better." He takes a few steps past her towards the water. "And there's one other thing. Might be useful, might piss you off. Ever hear of the Ben-Hassrath?"

Even before she spoke, The Iron Bull could see the answer written on her body: The subtle way her skin blanched in fear, the way her knuckles tightened on her staff, the way her face went stone still. 

"I learned of the Ben-Hassrath from my parents. They are the enforcers of the Qunari, and the spies."

"Yeah..That's them. Or, well, us." He watches as her gripping hands unconsciously tremble. Beyond that she held stone still as he continued. "The Ben-Hassrath are concerned about the Breach. Magic out of control like that could cause trouble everywhere. I've been ordered to join the Inquisition, get close to the people in charge, and send reports on what's happening." 

He glances down, noticing the subtle backwards movement of her left foot: She was, likely unconsciously, preparing to flee. "But I also get reports from Ben-Hassrath agents all over Orlais. You sign me on, I'll share them with your people."

"You're a Qunari spy, and you just..told me?" The disgust and suspicion in her voice wasn't lost on Iron Bull, but it was nothing he hadn't prepared for. Hell, the fact she hadn't lit him up like a barrel of gaatlok the second he confessed his allegiance meant things were going better than expected.

"Whatever happened at that Conclave thing.. It's bad. Someone needs to get that Breach closed. So whatever I am, I'm on your side."

"You still could have hidden what you are." she replies.

"From something called the Inquisition? I'd've been tipped sooner or later. Better you hear it right up front from me."

She snorts angrily, nostrils flaring. The sound of laughter reaches them from down the beach. Both look down to see Krem and the remaining Chargers chatting with Varric as Cassandra and Solas arrive, joining the crew around the small bonfire they had made from the remnants of a wooden wagon. 

"You said it yourself.. The Inquisition can afford you." She notices Varric looking over and offers him a warm smile and a wave. Once the dwarfs attention is back to the fireside crowd she turns back to Bull, her facade dropping. "You're in. The Breach, the Sabbat and the Venatori are threats to everyone. Even the Qun. But if you so much as sneeze wrong, if I even THINK you're a threat to my people, I will light you up like Fereldan fireworks before you can say 'Anaan'. Those are MY conditions."

He nods in understanding, looking at her as he calls over to the crew in the distance. 

"Krem! Tell the men to snuff out that fire. The Chargers just got hired!" 

He looks over to say his goodbye to Herah, only to already find her gone. In a flash of energy she had transported her way to the bonfire and the crowd around. He saw Cassandra looking up at the now visibly trembling Herah with concern, then a moment later both she and Solas look towards him with glares that could strip the scales off a dragon. 

The moment isn't lost on Krem as he approaches. "Umm.. Everything alright, chief?"

"Yeah, we're good." Iron Bull nods his head. "Let's just hope we bump into some more of these Sabbat bastards on the way to Haven. I *really* need to hit something.."


End file.
